


Sunny With a Chance of Pterodactyls

by IdrisTardis7878



Category: Primeval
Genre: Becker is uber thoughtful, F/M, Lester is a fabulous grump, Secret Relationship, Snark, So Much Snark, sass and banter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 00:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16843066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdrisTardis7878/pseuds/IdrisTardis7878
Summary: Jess finds out the hard way how difficult it is to balance her new relationship with her high stress job and overly demanding boss. Her life may be unusual - she and her new boyfriend both work for a secret government agency chasing down anomalies and creature incursions - but at the end of the day Becker makes all the hassle worth it.





	Sunny With a Chance of Pterodactyls

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr on February 6, 2014 as a fulfillment of a cuddle/hug meme prompt from tumblr user notababoonbrandishingastick.

Jess stifled a yawn as she trudged down the street, finally dragging herself home after what had to have been the longest shift **_ever_**. There had been no fewer than seven separate anomalies, most with attendant creature incursions, over the course of the day - the first alert had come only three minutes after she’d sat down in her chair at the ARC’s main console in the Hub that morning and the last two had happened at opposite ends of London at almost the exact same time - and between dispatching tac teams, guiding them through their field missions, and dealing with the cleanup and necessary paperwork for each one, she’d been completely worn out by the end of the day. 

She didn’t want to think about any of it any more. Not for a single moment. And speaking of things she wished she could wipe from her memory, she _absolutely_ didn’t want to think about the utter nightmare Lester had been all day long. But like most things that are fascinating in a horrific sort of way, she couldn’t seem to stop remembering it and turning it all over and over in her mind. First he’d been livid over the way the secondary tac team had handled one of the anomalies they’d responded to – a pterodactyl had been terrorizing fishing boats, pleasure craft, and seaside sunbathers along the coast near Torquay. The entire Pollock haul from one trawler, as well as three small dogs, had gone “missing” before the team had ushered the creature back through the anomaly and locked it. The inefficiency and ensuing PR disaster had put Lester in a foul temper for the rest of the afternoon and he’d been sputtering with indignant rage every time she’d passed by his office – his harsh words as he fumed about the incident still fairly audible even through the thick glass windows. The _least_ offensive comment had come when he’d called the secondary team leader, who was standing with uncharacteristic meekness on the office’s expensive Persian carpet, an “incomparable nitwit in charge of a brigade of addlebrained, ham-fisted nincompoops.” Though she was currently irritable and fatigued, thinking back on it she had to admit that it had been at least a _bit_ funny.

Less amusing had been the directive he’d given her half an hour before she was supposed to leave for the day regarding assisting him with preparing for an important meeting with the Minister of Defense – in Lester’s terms, a “troglodytic baboon with a God-complex” – that would take place early the next morning. She grimaced slightly at this particular memory. In fairness to Lester, _he_ had only been notified that the meeting was being added to the Minister’s schedule just before he’d told her – commanded her, really – to pull and organize all of the files relating to the ARC’s weapons’ budget. She turned the corner into the little laneway that led to her building as her mind replayed Lester’s near apoplectic fit as they’d been working through the files.

* * *

_“_

_What in the devil’s name is Becker spending so much money on?” Lester had barked out, hunched over the spreadsheets as much as possible given that he was also anxious not to wrinkle his new suit. “Was his last case of grenades made out of gold?!”_

_Jess set an armload of newly-sorted files down on the edge of his desk, looking down at him wearily. “Oh yes,” she murmured. “House of Fabergé, actually. Diamond and ruby encrusted.”_

_He shot her a withering look as he took the top two files from the stack she’d just delivered, flicking them both open in quick succession and starting to scan their contents. “Now is not the time for displays of extemporaneous wit, Miss Parker,” he muttered grimly, “unless you’d like me to review the technological equipment portion of the budget next.” Lester didn’t even glance up at her as he imparted his quietly-voiced threat. He didn’t need to. Jess knew when it was worth it to push it with him and when she’d been backed into a corner, and this was definitely the latter. Sighing, she resigned herself to being in it for the long haul. So much for the plans she’d had for this evening._

_She stepped towards the door of Lester’s office, deciding that if they were going to keep working, some nourishment and refreshment was in order. She turned slightly, just before slipping out into the main corridor and calling back to Lester over her shoulder. “Tea then, sir?’ she paused, waiting. “Considering we’ll be here awhile?”_

_Lester didn’t look at her, simply grunted in the affirmative before pulling out a red pen and slashing viciously at the paper in one of the files. Jess rolled her eyes as she slipped out of the office and headed for the break room fridge to see if there was anything worth scavenging to go with their tea._

* * *

It had been a perfectly dreadful end to a perfectly dreadful day. As the hours of the regular workday had ticked away, she’d at least been able to look forward to the date she and Becker had had planned for that evening – dinner at “their” restaurant. _And then **dessert** at home_, she thought, a wistful smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. _Not that there’s any chance of it now, considering that it’s gotten so late_.Because of the sheer number of creature incursions and the far flung nature of the day’s anomaly alerts, she’d barely gotten to see Becker even _before_ Lester had waylaid her with the budget paperwork. Their only real contact had been in the middle of the day when he’d been picking up a new EMD and some other supplies after his second mission of the morning. She’d been heading back to the Hub after practically inhaling her lunch when she spotted him as he stepped out of the armory.

* * *

_She could feel her face light up the moment that she saw him. Trying – and failing – to suppress the ridiculous grin she knew that she was sporting, Jess hurried along the corridor in his direction. He hadn’t seen her and was walking away from her, most likely headed back down to the vehicle bays to stow the weaponry he’d just picked up._

_“Becker!” She called after him before she could talk herself out of it – this was so new, the two of them, and they’d been trying to keep it quiet when they were at work. But she’d not seen him since early that morning before they’d left his flat for the ARC and she bloody well **missed** him and he was bound to be flinging himself in harm’s way again at **least** once more before their shift was over. So she didn’t let herself think too much about whether or not someone might see them – she just hurried to close the gap between them, stumbling slightly in her haste._

_He turned when she called his name, reaching out and catching her, his free arm wrapping easily around her waist. “Alright there, Jess?” he murmured as he steadied her, a hint of a smirk on his face._

_“I am now,” she said softly, her hands coming to rest just above his hips as she glanced up at him._

_His smirk melted into a true smile – a rare one not laced with sarcasm – that bloomed more fully across his face and he chuckled slightly. “Me too,” he admitted. “Are we still on for tonight?”_

_“Mm,” she nodded slightly, grateful for this moment with him in the midst of the chaos that today had become. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she murmured._

_He leaned down ever so slightly, using the arm that was still around her waist to pull her gently closer. Her own arms slid around his back, feeling the pleasant warmth of him seeping into her palms where they rested just above his belt. He slid the arm that had reeled her in upwards, splaying his hand out flat between her shoulder blades and almost cradling her to him. He brushed a soft, whisper-light kiss along her temple, and with a barely audible “good,” he pulled back and was gone._

_The contact had been fleeting, and for a split second after they’d parted ways she let herself feel the ache of wanting him to come back while knowing that he couldn’t. She carefully slipped her most composed expression onto her face as she reentered the Hub, tucking the memory of the brief moment with Becker away in the back of her mind and letting the oasis of calm it provided her with carry her through the rest of the day_.

* * *

_Or **most** of the rest of it_, she thought to herself with a sigh. _At least until Lester’s budget crusade ruined my night_. Trudging up the steps to her building, she let herself into the deserted foyer. The echo of her steps bounced dully off the tile as she made her way to the lift and absently pressed the button for her floor. At this point, she wanted nothing more than to put on her pajamas and curl up with a glass of wine. _And maybe call Becker to say goodnight_ , she smiled to herself at that thought. Wine on its own wasn’t really the best idea for dinner though, so she was going to have to hunt up some leftovers in her fridge – in fact, now that she’d thought about it, she realized that despite her makeshift tea with Lester earlier she was incredibly hungry. Her stomach let out a rather embarrassing growl and she was thankful that no one was around to hear it.

She was fumbling to slip the key into the lock when the lift bell dinged again and a tall figure stepped off on her floor. Jess paid the other person little mind until she felt a presence at her elbow a few seconds later. Turning, she came face to face with a very self-satisfied looking Becker. She couldn’t help the startled, and undignified, yelp that she was only partially able to stifle. “Becker!” she hissed, “you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry,” he murmured, his smile slipping slightly and turning apologetic. “I just-“

“What are you doing here?” she couldn’t help but ask, speaking over him despite the fact that she was cutting off his response, which probably held the very information she was seeking. They’d been to each other’s flats reasonably often since they’d started seeing each other, but hadn’t just dropped by unannounced before. _Not that I’m complaining, though_ , she mused.

His grin widened again and he held up a paper bag she’d not previously noticed him carrying. Gesturing to it, he murmured, “I brought dinner.” The heavenly aroma of takeaway from her favorite Thai place hit her nose as he reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle, “and wine.” He reached in again, retrieving a handful of different DVD cases, “and a few different options for after dinner.” He gazed down at her, the look in his eyes so concerned and affectionate that Jess felt its warmth as surely as if it were tangible. Instantly, her fatigue, hunger, and frustration vanished as if they’d never existed and she smiled back up at him.

“I’m sorry our dinner plans got ruined-“ she murmured, but now it was his turn to cut her off.

“Not your fault,” he said softly, shaking his head before gesturing towards her still-closed door. “Besides, this’ll be even better. You can tell me all of Lester’s funniest insults while we eat and then I can try to persuade you to watch an action movie instead of a comedy and we’ll end up choosing _The Princess Bride_. Again.” His tone was dry, but the mischievous twinkle in his eyes let her know that he was just teasing her.

She chuckled as she opened the door to her flat and stepped inside, quickly shedding her coat and kicking off her shoes. “It sounds like a plan…although…” she trailed off and turned to face him as he followed her in and closed the door behind him. Peering at him contemplatively she grinned as she caught his gaze and their eyes locked. “…I think I might have an even better idea.”

“Oh really?” his eyebrow quirked in slight surprise, though he didn’t take his eyes off her as she unzipped her skirt and let it fall before she crossed back to where he stood, slowly unbuttoning her blouse as she walked.

“Mm,” she nodded, stretching up on her tiptoes and sliding her arms around his neck before kissing him slowly, teasingly. Pulling back just enough to breathe, she whispered against his mouth. “Let’s skip right to dessert.”


End file.
